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How to overcome feeling overwhelmed

It’s a new season. It’s getting darker sooner, we are putting more sweaters on and we are beginning to scrunch up our shoulders as if they were earrings. Headaches, neck pain, and a tense face are the first symptoms of fall I notice even before the leaves on the trees begin to change. I have been in practice almost 25 years and this has been a constant pattern. So, what is happening?

My first thought is that as it gets cooler our automatic reaction is to cocoon in the turtle shell of our shoulders. A reminder to turn up the heat and put the sleeveless shirts away. But could there be more than the evident? Could it be that as the season changes, we unconsciously begin to hunker down into the “real life” of school and work? Maybe as the hint of the holidays begins to loom our system braces against the stress of the upcoming months? Could it be that as season changes we transition into new jobs, new homes, new relationships? Whatever the reason, our system seems to go into overwhelm.

What can you do to bring more resilience into your life?

Get enough sleep. This is the time that your glial cells clean out the debris from your brain for it to regenerate.

Go outside into nature as often as you can. Hug a tree, breathe fresh air, let the sun kiss your skin, throw yourself into a pile of leaves. You will feel more connected to yourself and the unconditional support that mother earth gives you.

Nourish strong bonds with friends and family. Research has shown that the biggest “secret” to happiness and fulfillment are strong relationships. Love is the biggest predictor of health. Having someone to rely on helps our nervous system to relax, keeps our brain healthy and decreases physical and emotional pain.

Establish healthy boundaries. When you fine tune your intuition, you bring into conscious awareness the physical sensation when your boundaries are being crossed. It will probably take some practice and patience to discover the subtlety of these sensations. It may be a pressure in your belly, or a tightness in the jaw, or a zing of energy down your feet, whatever the signal is for you, it is a gift to be aware of. Once you know what the signal feels like in your body you have a choice to either listen to it or not. The more you establish healthy boundaries the more energy you will have to live a full and plentiful life.

Bring into your body and mind only what is good and nourishing. That may mean different things to different people. Use the same channel of your senses to experience what would be healthy and nourishing on a sensory level “in your imagination” before experiencing it for “real”. Your mind and body will react the same whether the input is real or imagined. By stopping and feeling for your intuitive signal before you bring something into your body or mind you will have a clear indication of what will be nourishing or not. Whether that be a TV show, a bath, a meal, a walk, a certain person in your life. The more you honor your body and mind by choosing what would be really healing for them the more bandwidth they will have to give back to you.

Ground and Fill. This is a technique I learned from my mentor Suzanne Skurlock-Durana. It has been a life saver and is the first step in learning to identify your signals and one of the most efficient ways to fight overwhelm. (I will teach you how in another post, keep posted!)

Get a massage. Healthy nourishing touch is one of the most healing and self honoring things one can do. It calms our nervous system, boosts immunity, and helps us reconnect to ourselves.

These a few of the ways one can fight overwhelm. May you find them useful have a fall season filled with blessings and joy.